


The Forgotten Rival

by orphan_account



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Kabu Opal Melony and Gordie are briefly mentioned, Villain Sonia AU, the protagonist appears but doesn't play a major role
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:34:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22141870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: What started as a reciprocated rivalry became a forgotten memory for her friend. Sonia's determined to show how strong their friendship can be as seen in the legends she's been studying.
Kudos: 22





	The Forgotten Rival

Childhood was a simpler time. A time when the world had many an opportunity to find joy and fun. Wedgehurst was a tiny town compared to the rest of the Galar region, but Sonia had been content in her small world. Her grandmother had a library full of books, the Wooloo always got into all sorts of trouble, and more importantly, she had her best friend. A boy who always got lost, even if his home was just around the corner.

Leon.

The two got into all sorts of trouble, earning an earful from her grandmother. She pretended to be exasperated at Leon's inability to read directions, but deep down she found it as an adventure to find out where her best friend had gotten lost to this time. It was during one of those times that she found Yamper and he helped convince her grandmother to allow her to keep the little fellow.

The two sat on a stone wall, swinging their feet as they looked over the green hills and Wooloo that rolled about. Sonia was tying her hair up in a small ponytail as she spoke to Leon.

"I hear your mum is gonna have a baby," she told him. "You must be excited. Are you hoping for a little brother or a little sister?"

Leon put a hand over his chin in thought.

"Hm....I'm not sure. Mum said that no matter if she has a boy or a girl, I have a new responsibility to be a good big brother."

Sonia nodded as she rested her palms on the stone. 

"Yeah. I wish I had a sister, though. It's bothersome to get all dressed up and not have anyone tell you how well you look."

"What about your grandmother?" Leon looked at her in curiosity.

"Grandmother is smart, but she doesn't know a whole lot about fashion," Sonia pouted. "And there's no point in asking you, especially when you wear that gaudy hat."

"This hat ain't gaudy!" Leon defended himself. "Anywho, my mum's words do have me thinking: what kinda things do I wanna teach my little brother or sister. And I think I've thought of something."

Leon hopped off the wall, landing on his feet, and pointed up to the sky.

"I'm gonna take on the Gym Challenge and show my little sibling that they can count on me for anything!" 

Sonia smiled. 

"You? Champion? How are you gonna take on the challenge if you don't even know how to get to the Pokemon Center here?"

"I'll find a way," Leon turned to her. "Whoever ends up my partner will know exactly where to go and it'll only be a matter of time til I become Champion."

Sonia nodded. 

"Well, I s'pose if you're gonna take on the Gym Challenge, I should too." She got down from the wall. "Yamper and I will show you what a true Champion looks like."

Leon smiled back at her. 

"Ah, so you wanna be my rival then? It won't be easy, but I accept!" 

He presented a hand to her which she accepted. They shook on that promise to be the best of rivals and the best of friends. 

When they let go, they realized that the side they had dropped down on had a steeper ground, meaning they had to walk to the gated fence for any chance of escaping the field of Wooloo.

Her grandmother found it odd that Sonia would take Yamper as her sole companion than choose a proper starter of either grass, water, or fire to come with her. But Sonia had to prove to Leon that she was going to win with Yamper by her side.

Leon had difficulty choosing his starter until he found a Charmander in the lab. The poor thing had nowhere to go. No one was sure where it came from or if it even had a trainer. But when Leon's eyes set on that of Charmander, he begged for him to be his starter. Leon's plea was heartfelt and his eyes revealed that he knew Charmander was the right starter for him that the adults allowed him to take the Kanto fire starter with him.

When they traveled to the train station, Sonia pointed out how she had never seen her grandmother persuaded in such a short amount of time like that.

"I suppose I have that natural charm about me," Leon joked.

"Either that, or they saw how helpless you were," Sonia teased.

The two laughed as they got their tickets and took their seats. Sonia held Yamper on her lap, not wanting her friend to be in a pokeball. Plus, she heard somewhere that having your Pokemon out and about with you helped make your bond and partner stronger. 

The Gym Challenge was a lot tougher than Sonia imagined. She managed to pass by the first two gyms fine, but her battle against Kabu proved to be difficult. Yamper endured hit after hit, but Sonia barely managed to beat him. 

As she left the stadium, she got Yamper all healed up and wondered if she really had a chance to complete the Challenge.

Leon noticed her as she left the Pokemon Center and congratulated her on her victory. She appreciated his encouragement, but confided in him that she wasn't sure how far she could go.

"Ah, don't beat yourself up like that," he said. "Can't have a rival if she doesn't move forward. Take this as a learning experience and you'll fair better in the next gym."

Sonia smiled at his words before her eyes gazed down at the pokemon by his side. A Charmeleon.

"You and Charmeleon certainly have gotten close."

Leon blinked as he looked down at Charmeleon.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I knew he was a lot stronger than he looked," he placed his hand atop Charmeleon's head.

"But he won't be strong enough to beat me," another voice said.

Sonia and Leon looked to see another trainer approach them. He was a tall and lanky boy who wore clothes that were meant for older boys. He had noticeable fangs and a Rotom phone that floated beside him.

Raihan. She remembered him at the opening ceremony. Didn't pay much mind to him. At least, not as much as Leon had paid attention to him.

Sonia was about to tell Leon to pay no mind to him, but Leon responded back to Raihan.

"Oh yeah? How about you and I have a proper battle then before I take on Kabu?" Leon challenged.

"Oh it is on," Raihan said.

And so the two had a battle. Sonia stayed to watch, cheering Leon on. The two were head to head, both down to their last party members, but Leon won the battle. Raihan was disappointed, though Leon gave him a reassuring smile.

"Ey, you did good," Leon said. "The most fun battle I ever had."

"Oh come off it," Raihan said, furrowing his brows. "You may have beaten me this time, but I ain't going down again. I'm gonna be the next Champion, you wait and see."

With that, Raihan left in a huff. Sonia shook her head.

"Honestly, he's so full of himself," she said. "And did you notice how he had his Rotom phone take pictures when he lost? What a strange habit. I just hope he didn't include you in the photo, otherwise that'd be very inconsiderate of him to do so without your permission."

Leon gave an embarrassed smile, his face pink.

"Actually....I did tell him he could take as many pics of our battles as he'd like...." 

Sonia raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why would you agree to that?"

Leon shrugged. 

"He has fun taking pictures." Leon looked around the area they were in. "Uh...would it be too much to ask which way the stadium is?"

Sonia put a hand over her forehead before she had Leon follow her lead to the stadium.

Sonia and Yamper were just about to take on Gym Leader Opal when she saw Leon again before leaving Stow on Side. Leon had finished the Gym Challenge in Stow on Side and was excited to see Sonia with the same badge.

If Sonia could go back in time and stop herself from doing one thing, it would be this moment.

"Hey, since you and I are tied in our badges, why don't we see whose the stronger of the two?" She twirled her hair around her finger.

"What? Really?" Leon beamed.

"Yeah. I don't think you and I have had a proper battle. What kind of rival would I be if we didn't battle?"

Leon nodded, moving his hat around his head.

"You're right. We've already hit the halfway point of this challenge. I wanna see if you took my advice to heart." 

If Sonia had waited just a little longer, even just a chance for her to train Yamper some more, maybe the battle would have turned out differently. She could have won. No. She could have been a real challenge against Leon. 

The battle lasted less than three minutes. 

Sonia's expression was that of shock. 

Leon wasn't really sure what to say. Normally he'd have said something to boast his victory. Or to acknowledge his opponent for a good battle. Instead, he simply walked up to Sonia and patted her on the shoulder.

"Right. I'll see you in Ballonlea, yeah?"

And he walked past her.

Sonia bit her lip. She took Yamper back to the Pokemon Center. Stow on Side was the last town she took part in for the Gym Challenge.

Sonia kept cheering for Leon. She wanted to see him win. She liked seeing him win. But as he advanced, so did Raihan. Raihan would challenge Leon every so often. And Leon was either smiling or serious looking when he battled Raihan. Leon kept his head in the game, he thought about what moves to use and how to use them. A serious mind that he didn't have for her. 

Leon still acknowledged Sonia, thanking her for her support. But their conversations were kept brief as he had to move on to the next town or train his team even more.

Sonia tried to find some way to travel alongside Leon. Any reason. But Leon's time helped him find his way to his destination. And she couldn't really help him get stronger. Not when he was farther ahead in strength as he was. 

Her grandmother even reprimanded her for distracting him.

"He's still taking on the Gym Challenge," she would say. "He needs to be focused on winning. How much longer until you catch up?"

She never had an answer to that question. She could feel the disappointment in her grandmother's voice. In her gaze. 

It came as no surprise when Leon won the Champion Cup. Everyone cheered him on. Even Raihan acknowledged just how strong Leon was. Evenso, Raihan promised Leon that he better watch out, for that Champion title would go to him someday.

Leon laughed, the camera rolling on their interaction.

"I can't say I know when that'll be," Leon said. "But I know how serious you are about it. You're a true rival, Raihan. I couldn't have asked for a better one." 

Sonia's heart shattered. A true rival. She wasn't strong-no. She wasn't good enough for that title. She walked out of the stadium and went back home.

Interview after interview, Sonia's name was mentioned only a handful times. Not one single time was she ever acknowledged as Leon's first rival. Not one single time was she ever referred to as Leon's best friend. It was always "Sonia's a good friend" or "That Sonia. A smart one she is." 

She spent her days laying in bed, Yamper curled up by her side trying their best to comfort her. 

She had to push herself to be okay. She ran errands for her grandmother and kept the lab tidied. If she did absolutely nothing, her grandmother's scoldings would be worse. 

She passed her time reading Galar's history. She found herself interested in reading about it, especially the Darkest Day. Sonia wondered about the truth behind the Darkest Day and what it meant. What it meant for the hero to save the Galar region.

If she had been born back then, would her life be the adventure she sought out?

* * *

Years passed. Things remained the same while also changing. Leon was still Champion. Raihan could never beat him, but he did earn himself the title of Gym Leader. Opal was ready for retirement whereas Melony had some family issues to work out with her son, Gordie. 

Sonia grew out her hair and continued to help around the lab. Except when two new trainers, a young girl and Leon's little brother, Hop, were sent on their journey, Professor Magnolia gave her an assignment to do. If Sonia wasn't going to take on the Gym Challenge, she should still do something useful, right?

The mural at Stow on Side broke down to reveal a startling fact.

Two heroes.

This whole time Galar had two heroes that saved everyone.

Sonia couldn't believe it. She had to find out what this meant. Why was only one hero credited for saving the region? What happened to the second hero? Was there really two heroes?

The tapestries in Hammerlocke portrayed two young lads taking on the Darkest Day together. Both were crowned kings. And yet only one was remembered to this day.

For once, when Sonia had something to say to Professor Magnolia, her grandmother didn't dismiss her or critique her curiosity. Instead, she listened to her granddaughter and found the discovery to be intriguing. 

"Keep up the good work, Sonia. Uncovering the secrets to Galar's history could hold a flood of knowledge about Dynamaxing that none have ever realized," Professor Magnolia said. 

Sonia smiled and nodded, determined to make her grandmother proud. 

Sonia relied on the help of Hop and his friend to get some of the work done. She appreciated their efforts and knew she couldn't have gotten as far as she did without them. And Bede, too, considering it was him that destroyed the mural in the first place. 

From the research Sonia did, she found that the power of Dynamax was too much for one person to handle on their own. Even too much for one Pokemon to handle. Thus the need for two. Two pokemon. Two heroes. 

She felt she was finally piecing something together. But why only one credit? Why did the Galar region forget the second hero? The second king? Maybe there was something that went wrong in that battle. Something that they couldn't comprehend. 

The second hero.

An idea came to her. The Wishing Stars!

Chairman Rose was already working closely with Professor Magnolia. She recalled what Bede was doing destroying the mural in the first place. Chairman Rose would know what's going on. She set out to meet him right away.

"I'm afraid we still don't have many answers yet," Chairman Rose said from the opposite side of the table with a frown on his face. 

"How is that possible?" Sonia asked, confused about the lack of development in his research.

"Well, for one, Miss Oleana is the one who handles all that work," Chairman Rose confessed. "And for another, the power of the Wishing Stars isn't exactly a science."

"But it could be!" Sonia said. "Please sir. I know you rely on my grandmother for her research, but let me have a look at it! I'm sure I could come up with something."

"You lack composure," Oleana said. "We need someone who is of steady mind to-"

"Now Miss Oleana, hold on a minute," Chairman Rose interrupted. "Part of innovation and progress is spirit. It's clear that Sonia here possesses that can-do spirit we're looking for." He gave a smile to Sonia. "We'll give you access to everything we have so far on Dynamaxing and the Wishing Stars."

"Chairman Rose, do you mean it?" Sonia gasped. A grin formed on her face. "Thank you! I won't let you down!"

"Miss Oleana, see to it that Sonia is given all the documentation we have on our research."

"Yes sir," Oleana nodded with a stoic face. Despite her cold demeanor, Sonia felt Oleana's disapproval of the situation. Of course, it didn't matter now. She'd just have to deal with it.

Oleana reminded Chairman Rose of an appointment he had to attend to, but Sonia didn't have to wait long to be given the materials needed to access their records.

Sonia was immersed in all of the data collected about the Wishing Stars. She correlated that data with the records she found about the Darkest Day. Yamper stayed by her side, barking when it looked like she made another connection. Sonia smiled down at her partner, giving him a good head pat. She picked Yamper up in her arms as she examined a wall of the most prominent evidence she gathered up. 

Galar had a terrifying history of giant pokemon roaming the lands. The Darkest Day stood out among the rest. The heroes were responsible for humans having better control of Dynamaxing. 

The Wishing Stars. The Wishing Stars were a source of Dynamaxing. But where did they come from? Scientists couldn't find an exact source from space. And to everyone's knowledge, the Wishing Stars only appear in Galar and no other region. But why then? 

She set Yamper down and her eyes glanced at an old text. There was a word that stood out to her. 

Eternity.

The hero had to stop an eternity of darkness.

There was an original version of the text available below the page. The one written in the language of Old Galar.

Except Sonia realized that translation wasn't quite right. She remembered the texts she read that contained Old Galar language. She remembered the word for eternity. But this one was written differently. 

The literal translation of the word was Eternatus. 

Eternatus wasn't the name of an event: it was the name of a pokemon.

Sonia jumped up in glee. She found the source of Dynamaxing! She had to tell Chairman Rose right away. Sonia took her phone out and as her finger hovered about Chairman Rose's name, she realized something: she didn't know exactly how Eternatus was stopped.

Yamper gave her a sympathetic look. 

"I know," she said, giving Yamper a melancholic look. "Even if I tell them about Eternatus, the next question will be where it is and how it was stopped." She sat down on her chair, leaning her head back. 

All this research. And for what? She didn't even know where Eternatus was.

She closed her eyes. The Darkest Day was caused by Eternatus. The sword and shield pokemon were the ones to stop it. It wasn't just them alone. There were two humans. Two heroes. Two kings.

_Two friends._

That was it! Sonia opened her eyes and got up from her seat. She looked over the records to find out the last place Eternatus was spotted at. When she had a general location pinned down, she called her grandmother to let her know she would be busy with further research, so she may not hear from her for a while.

"Not hear from you?" Professor Magnolia had confusion in her voice. "I'm concerned about what you're doing...but I trust you. You've grown so much, Sonia. Don't overexert yourself, you hear?"

"I won't, Grandmother," Sonia lied. "I'll call you back as soon as I can."

With that, the conversation ended.

"Come, Yamper. It's up to us to find out exactly what was needed to stop the Darkest Day."

Yamper barked and followed their trainer excitedly. Sonia needed to understand what happened on that day. But in order to do that, Eternatus had to wake up. And this time around, it would be her and Leon to stop it.

No one stopped her as she gathered all the Wishing Stars that were found and kept all to Chairman Rose. He didn't realize these weren't for him to keep. They weren't even for humans to harness to help their pokemon with their dynamaxing. 

They were meant for Eternatus. 

For heroes.

For two best friends.

Before she awakened Eternatus, Leon spotted her.

"Sonia!" 

She stopped in her tracks. She looked over her shoulder, the Wishing Stars not in plain view.

"Leon?" She was genuinely surprised to hear him call out her name. "Shouldn't you be in Wyndon?"

"Yeah," he said. "Listen, I know you're doing something very important, but....everyone's worried about you."

Sonia chuckled.

"Ah, you must mean Grandmother. I told her not to worry about me-"

"It was Oleana who told me," Leon revealed.

Sonia's face dropped.

"Oh." She turned away from him. "You know Oleana is a bit of a stickler. She's always so serious."

"Sonia..." There was a quiet pause. "It's concerning. How cut off you made yourself with everyone. I....I hate to see you like this."

Sonia breathed in and out. Yamper looked up at her curiously.

"I appreciate the concern," she said. She turned around to see him. "That's what makes you a good person. How you're worried about other people."

Leon shook his head.

"Worrying about others doesn't make me a good person." He had a serious look on his face. "But if there's something I can do to help you then I want you to trust me enough to tell me."

Sonia felt safe hearing those words. That's right. Friends trust each other. A smile formed on her face.

"I'm the Champion after all," he continued with his own sympathetic smile.

Oh. 

So that's why. 

Friends trust each other. 

Which meant he would have to trust her with this.

"Leon." She put a hand over the pocket that had the Wishing Stars. "When I need you, you'll know. I promise."

Leon let out a sigh of relief.

"After the Champion Cup, we should catch up. It's been a while."

Sonia nodded. "Yes. It has."

The power of Eternatus. This is what the Darkest Day was about. Sonia looked up at the beast in wonder. Energy emitting from its body. Its power spreading across the region. It was headed for the Hammerlocke Energy Plant. 

Yamper barked effortlessly at the beast.

"It's okay," she consoled her partner. "That thing won't hurt you. Not with me to help you and with Leon by our side." 

Yamper whimpered, even as Sonia carried them away to Hammerlocke.

The Champion Cup was interrupted and right when that trainer was going to battle Leon. Sonia got inside the power plant no problem. Although some of the security advised her not to go through, she had Yamper shock them to get by. 

Sonia took the elevator all the way to the top. 

It was only a matter of time before Leon showed up. When he did, she was rather calm despite the chaos going on around them.

"Sonia, what's all this?" Leon asked as he got off Charizard's back. "Why are you here? It's too dangerous, you need to get to safety."

Sonia shook her head.

"Leon, don't you remember? There were two heroes of Galar." She walked towards him, her arms wide to gesture to everything. "Two heroes to put an end to the Darkest Day." Her look shifted to that of pity. "I get it. You're used to hearing about only one hero. Everyone is. But everyone has a friend. A friend that sticks with them til the end." 

Eternatus gave off a thundering growl to the sky. 

"It's up to us to save the day," Sonia said. "If we work together, the sword and shield pokemon will appear before us. We'll be the new heroes of Galar!"

Leon's eyes widened.

"Sonia....you summoned this thing?"

Sonia's smile didn't waver.

"I'm so close to figuring out how the heroes put an end to the Darkest Day! Once I figure it out, I can record it properly and future generations will know what to do." 

"But Sonia, this amount of dynamaxing will hurt both people and pokemon! Is that really worth finding out how history played out?" Leon's hands were shaking.

"It is, Leon," Sonia answered calmly. "No permanent damage will be done. Not with us to stop Eternatus. Come. Battle Eternatus with me. Like we were meant to." 

"Meant to?" Leon took a step back. "Sonia, please. This isn't like you. This isn't the Sonia I know." 

Sonia was taken aback for a moment. She looked down at her feet.

"Maybe not." Her eyes wandered over to Eternatus. "But does it really matter who I am now? Eternatus still needs to be stopped. Wouldn't you agree?"

Leon looked at Eternatus. She knew she had him. 

He gave a sigh with his eyes closed before facing the beast.

"Alright," he said. "Let's stop Eternatus."

Once again, she overestimated her own abilities. You'd think she'd learn. The Gym Challenge. Her last battle with Leon. Even the assignment Professor Magnolia gave her. She had been blown away. Yamper tended to her, whimpering about her state.

"Sonia!" Hop called out as he rushed over to her. 

"Hop....you need to get out-" she winced in pain. 

Hop shook his head.

"I ain't leaving you behind. Just rest, Sonia. My friend and I are here."

Friend.

That's right.

That's what this was all about.

She just wanted her best friend back.

And she put Galar in danger for it.

No wonder he couldn't call her a rival. His best friend.

When Sonia came to, she heard everything. How Hop and that trainer defeated Eternatus. Honestly, she was surprised Leon didn't have a chance against that thing. He was the Champion of Galar. Everyone looked up to him. He was reliable and kind. But no. It was Hop and his friend. They were able to summon Zacian and Zamazenta. Not her and Leon.

Sonia confessed to everything. To stealing the Wishing Stars and summoning Eternatus. To putting everyone in danger. Sonia had been taken away to a facility. She had been separated from Yamper. 

She sat in her cell, head against the wall. She disappointed so many people. She betrayed the trust of those who believed in her. 

She was all alone.

"Visitor," a guard told her as her cell door was opened.

Sonia blinked. She stood up and followed the guard to the visiting area. 

Leon.

Except he was wearing more formal attire rather than his Champion uniform. He still kept that gaudy hat though.

She couldn't look him in the eye. Not even when she took her seat opposite of him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It was reckless and stupid of me to summon Eternatus and...I hurt a lot of people, including you and your brother and that trainer."

Leon nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's true." He had his arms crossed. "I don't get it, though. Why did you want _us_ to stop Eternatus? You could have chosen to stop Eternatus yourself or even just put the responsibility on my shoulders. But you chose both of us."

Sonia gripped her palm.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Sonia let out a breath. "Do you have any idea what it's like to not be on the same level as you? We grew up together. We spent time together. And yet I couldn't catch up to you." 

"Is this about the Gym Challenge?" Leon asked. "Did I say something that made you stop? If I did, I'm so sorry."

"No. It's not really about what you said." Sonia forced a smile on her face. "You advanced so much. The only one who could ever really match you was Raihan. We were supposed to be rivals, but ever since you beat me that day, Raihan became your new rival. You replaced me, Leon. Even my grandmother realized I was never going to be the trainer she thought I could be. You were my best friend, Leon. I never forgot that." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "But you did."

Leon relaxed his posture. He leaned forward, his head on his hands. He was taking in what she said. 

"I..." He ran a hand through his hair, removing his hat. "I had no idea...." He held the hat in between his hands. 

Sonia's smile fell. She sobbed, hiding her face with her hands.

And then she felt something on her head.

Her vision could recognize the tip of Leon's snapback. She looked at him.

"You know you can't get out of trouble for what you did," Leon said. "But that doesn't mean you can't work towards getting out of here. I should have been a better friend and for that I'm sorry. I hope you'll let me make it up to you by letting me help you work on repaying your debt to society." 

Sonia wiped her eyes.

"If there's something you can do for me now, can you tell me how Yamper is?"

Leon smiled.

"Yamper is safe. They're with your grandmother and she and I take turns taking care of them, giving them the care you would have given them."

Sonia put her hands over her chest.

"Thank goodness...." She took the hat off her head and passed it back to Leon. "You know this look never did suit me."

"I know," Leon said. "But it was worth a try." He took the hat back. "You know, I probably shouldn't have been so insistent on calling Raihan my only rival. Not only did I ignore how much you really helped me become who I am today, but I didn't really give anyone a chance to show me what they've got. That young trainer, Hop's friend....she's the new trainer."

Sonia gasped.

"No. You mean the undefeated Champion was....defeated?" Sonia said with an overdramatic tone.

"Yes, yes," Leon put his hands up. "I guess I shouldn't have gone with that description of myself."

"You think?" 

The two of them shared a laugh.

"Sonia," Leon said. "When you get out, Yamper's gonna leap into your arms. And after they do, I'm gonna need your help with putting up a battle tower of sorts. I hear other regions have used that. I think it's time Galar did, too."

He put his hat back on and extended an open hand to her.

"What do you say?"

Sonia looked at what he had to offer. She didn't deserve to be trusted so quickly. But this was her best friend. 

"I say that sounds like a plan." 

She took his hand and they shook on that promise.


End file.
